Smoked Meat Goodness in Brooklyn

In a previous post, it was mentioned that there we saw that the Food Network featured a Deli in Brooklyn that smoked it's own meat. Since then I haven't stopped salivating. Whilst I was in the area I stopped off to have lunch at the Mile High Deli.

The first thing you notice is the smell of smoked meat which fills the Deli. Thats enough to make you want to order a regular smoked sandwich. Which is what I did. The meat is so tender, rare and best of all, tastes just as smoked as it smells.

It's also grat that they have free wifi, and the staff are friendly. One of the chefs told me about some great pizza places and other eateries to visit in NYC. Stay tuned!

Mini Burger at New York Burger Co.

Just because depression was sinking in from eating so many burgers (variety is the spice of life, right?), a mini burger was sampled at lunch from New York burger co.

A well done patty was requested, but this one turned out like cardboard. The box it came in would have been more appetizing. The blue cheese almost rescued it.

Five Napkins, One Huge Appetite

We chose this place purely for the web site. The burgers at Five Napkins were bigger than could fill the web page that we saw, and immediately we were sucked right in. So we ventured down to 2315 Broadway, where we entered burger heaven.

The name 'Five Napkins' seemed to mock the success of 'Five Guys', tauntingly saying 'our burgers are just as good as you guys'. The name also implies that you will actually need five napkins to enjoy this meal. This wasn't too far from the truth. Whilst the single cloth napkin was sufficient to maintain our personal hygiene during the mastication process of devouring this burger, nevertheless, the process bordered upon the socially unacceptable. In other words, it was rather messy!! Caramelized onions spilt out of the side of this burger upon digging in.

Overall, we rate this experience a positive one. Vanilla bean stout was also a highlight of this meal.

Breakfast: NYC hotdogs

For a healthy change this morning for breakfast, we decided we needed something a little different from hamburgers. So we walked through Central Park and bought these at a cafe (the street vendor options looked festy).

Also included in our order was a bag of crisps each, which we didn't ask for. We wondered why these were included with our hotdogs. Do we look like we need fattening up? Are these supposed to be an extra with our hotdogs? Can any of our American readers shed some light upon this hotdog mystery???

NYC Dessert at Juniors for Devils Cheesecake

For dessert, we ventured down to Times Square to sample some of Junior's cheesecake. When we bit into the devil's cheesecake, we could feel the sugar drilling holes in our teeth. Too sweet for us to finish this.

Shake Shack NYC

Ribs at Soles in Philly

Five Guys After Dinner Snack

After the apéritifs at Geno's we decided to go for something a bit more substantial. Five Guys was calling out to us as we walked past, and the smell of double cheese and double meat burgers lifted our feet from the ground and pulled us inside.

The first thing we noticed was that the picture on the wall of the original Five Guys did not match the picture of the staff working behind the counter. Apparently this chain of burger restaurants was started when the father of the five guys gave them an option: $70k for college or business? It was a no-brainer for this family of burger snobs that turned their nose up at Macdonalds: blow the $70K on a burger joint.

The burger came with more chips than we had ever seen in our life. We ordered a large serve, and they were piled so high that there were just as many chips in the cup they were served in as the paper bag they fell into. The potatoes are shipped in fresh daily from a disclosed location. We had never thought about where our potatoes come from before... Anyone would think that the freshness of the potatoes were as just important as Sydney rock oysters. It also made us wonder what would become of the bags of unused potatoes piled high opposite the serving counter. Moreover, Five Guys boast is that because they cook the potatoes in peanut oil, their chips contain no cholesterol. However we could feel our arteries narrowing with every bite.

The burgers did not disappoint. Cooked to perfection with cheese melting on the grill with the meat patty, they removed the taste of Geno's from our palate. We both ordered a cheeseburger with everything, and every bite was just as juicy as the sign on the wall promised. Five Guys definitely made up for our previous disappointment at Geno's. We walked out of Five Guys happy and bloated, our stomachs stretched at major capacity.

Geno's Philly Cheese Steaks

Our reputation is fast spreading throughout the USA, as soon as this guy behind the counter saw us coming he called the guys out the back in the kitchen to make us a monster philycheese steak,

This is what the kitchen put together for us.  I have to say Gino to quote you, I am Mad as Hell,  I want my $8 back.  If your ever in Philly go to five guys, this is where we ended up for mains.

Still hungry after this place

Burgers Stuffed with Cheese

Yes, you read that correctly, burgers STUFFED with cheese.

Having arrived in Philly tired and hungry, the thought of sampling Philadelphia's best burger was the only thing on our minds. A quick google search of 'Philly's best burger' (we don't muck around) introduced us to a bar called Good Dog Bar where the burger meat is actually stuffed with cheese. This was a burger phenomenon that we just had to experience first hand.

Good Dog Bar has a small, pokey, yet boisterous environment. The booths were full, the bar crowded, and the music was cranked up. It struck was as uniquely American - Australia just doesn't boast establishments like this one. We sat down in a booth and promptly ordered Good Dog's signature burger.

Prior to receiving our burger we were each given a big knife. This is always a positive sign to us burger-connoisseurs that we are about to be in for a chunky treat. We buckled ourselves in for the ride!

We weren't disappointed. Served with a side of sweet potato and normal fries, caramelized onions on top, these burgers just OOZED cheese. The cheese inside drizzled out as we took a bite. Reminiscent of blue cheese, the melted roquefort cheese inside was a yummy addition to an already great burger.

All this was washed down with a glass of Sierra Nevada Tumbler brown ale.

USA 2011

So it seems like we didn't get enough burgers into us on the last trip. Eventually our cravings set in again. We determined that our urges for those soft, succulent, shiny buns full of oniony, cheesy and meaty goodness needed to be satisfied. So off to America we went. Again.

When we arrived, we were greeted at customs with'Oh, its you guys again. Here for some more burgers?' Well, almost. You know that disconcerting experience of entering into US customs and being suddenly plied with questions about the purpose of your trip? Well our purpose, Mr Customs Officer, is to eat burgers. Honest! If that doesn't get us across the border, nothing will.